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Monday, October 19, 2009

Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze's much-anticipated Gen-X indie acid trip Where the Wild Things Are opened this past weekend. I haven't seen it yet, but Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 68% rating, with the comment "some may find its dark tone and slender narrative off-putting." It's been a long time since I read the adventures of Max, but wasn't the book itself a bit light on narrative? I say bring on the monsters and the noir and all those squirmy "off-putting" feelings. Everyone knows this movie isn't really for kids, anyway.

If you happen to be a member of the target demographic—a five-year-old trapped in a thirtysomething body—chances are you'll appreciate the soundtrack, which features original songs by Karen O and the Kids. You might know Karen O as the flamboyant fashion-centric lead singer of art-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: famous for her performance shenanigans, she once fell off the stage during a show and had to be hospitalized.

(The aforementioned shenanigans)

On this soundtrack, however, Karen O has toned things down a bit, joining up with "the Kids" to bring you some hallucinogenic fraggle rock that might just annoy the ever-loving shit out of you or inspire you to ride your big wheel around the block with reckless abandon. If you shrunk the members of the Polyphonic Spree to tot size and gave them a whole bag of Runts candy, they would sound something like this.

(Karen O: She sings to your children... or the naughty child inside you.)

(A kinder, cuddlier Karen O)

"All Is Love" by Karen O and the Kids

"Hidaway" by Karen O and the Kids

Karen O's voice is magical. "All Is Love" is a bit teletubby for me, but there's definitely some whimsical fun on this soundtrack that probably compliments the film well.

4 comments:

I haven't but plan to...even if that means on my own couch in about three months.

Did you hear the interview with the screenwriter on NPR this weekend? He talked about how childish the whole process was and how Sendak never really wrote the book with children in-mind. He sort of liked that it was scary.

I'm with you on this one. I doubt I'll go see it in the theater, but I have high hopes it will be dark and slightly "off." Was Dave Eggers the screenwriter for this one? I missed the NPR interview, but I did read today that adults make up more than half of the audience at most screenings.